Chapter 2 pt. 1 Flashcards
What are research methods?
methods they use in research
What happens when methods are not sound?
- we use the wrong test, or a bad test that doesn’t really represent my construct
- don’t treat every subject the same
- have a biased sample
When researching you need replication because otherwise we get a ____________ of results
generalizability
What was the Tuskegee Syphilis Study?
A clinical study conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service studying the natural progression of untreated syphilis in rural African-American men in Alabama under the auspices of receiving free health care from the United States government.
Once a cure was found though the subjects did not receive it and many of them died.
What are the steps in the scientific method?
(1) formulate a testable hypothesis
(2) select the research method and design the study
(3) collect the data
(4) analyze the data and draw conclusions
(5) report the findings
The scientific approach allows us to test ____________ & exclude alternate ___________
hypotheses
explanations
In order to achieve the scientific approach you must have clear hypotheses and ___________ _______ what you are measuring
operationally define
Differing approaches to the observation, measurement, manipulation, and control of variables in empirical studies
research methods
Experimental research methods= manipulation of _________/__________
variables/behaviors
Descriptive/correlational research methods=measurement of ____________- no manipulation
behavior
__________ __________ methods=manipulation of variables/behaviors
experimental research
__________/__________ research methods =measurement of behavior- no manipulation
Descriptive/correlational
An __________ involves the manipulation of one variable under controlled conditions
experiment
Experiments allow for detection of _______-_____-_______ relationships
cause-and-effect
___________ allow for detection of cause-and-effect relationships
experiments
What is a variable?
anything you can change (i.e. it can vary) and concretely measure
What are the two main types of variables?
- Independent Variable
2. Dependent Variable
Is this an independent or dependent variable:
condition or event varied by the experimenter
Independent variable
Is this an independent or dependent variable:
variable that is affected by manipulation
Dependent variable
The dependent variable depends on the ____________ of the independent variable
manipulation
The dependent variable is what we ___________
measure
The independent is what we ___________
manipulate
An experimental design is how does X (__________ variable) affect or change Y (___________ variable).
X=independent
Y=dependent
What are the goals of the scientific approach?
It assumes that there are laws of behavior that can be discovered through empirical research.
What are the goals of the science of psychology?
(1) the measurement and description of behavior
(2) the understanding and prediction of behavior
(3) the application of this knowledge to the task of controlling behavior
What is the difference between a theory and hypothesis?
A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.
A theory is a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations.
What are the two types of experiment groups?
(1) experimental groups
(2) control groups
One (or more) groups in a experiment are assigned to the __________ group(s)
experimental
subjects who receive some special treatment in regard to the independent variable
experimental group
group of participants who do not receive the special treatment
control group
Participants in the experimental group(s) and control group are alike in all respects, except for manipulation of ___________ variable
independent
Resulting differences in the two groups must be due to the independent variable – allows for _________ (IV caused differences in the DV)
causation
What type of variable, is a variable that the researcher failed to control, or eliminate, damaging the internal validity of an experiment?
Extraneous (or confounding) variable
How do you (at least attend to ) control for extraneous and confounding variables?
- Survey participants demographics/personality characteristics
- Random assignment!
What are the variations in types of studies?
(1) Expose a single group to two different conditions
(2) Manipulate more than one independent variable
(3) Use more than one dependent variable
What are the advantages to using the experimental method?
- Conclusions about cause-and-effect can be drawn
- Can understand the effects of different variables
What are the disadvantages of using the experimental method?
- Artificial nature of experiments
- Ethical and practical issues
What are the advantages of using descriptive/correlational research?
Explore questions that cannot be examined experimentally
What are the disadvantages of using descriptive/correlational research?
Investigators cannot control events to isolate cause and effect
